Fire-protective shield.



D. S. WATSON.

FIRE PROTECTIVE SHIELD. APPLICATION mu) mural. um.

1,181,188. Panama May 2,1916.

DAVID B. WATSON, OI OANAB'IO'IA, NEW YORK.

FIRE-PROTECTIVE SHIELD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed Kay 81, 1911. 8011:1170. 830,284.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID S. Warson, of Canastota in the county of Madison, in the State of ew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in F ire-Protective Shields, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawingls, is a full, clear, and exact descr ption.

his invention relates to certain unprovements in tire protective shields for lloor openings of the class set forth in m Patents Nos. 848,683, March 20, 1907; 8 0,787, June 2, 1908 5 900,248, October 0, 1008; 1,058,283, A ril 8, 1013, and 1,100 008, J one 10, 1014, an the patent to R. J. liittredge 1,021,585, March 0, 1912, of which I am now the sole owner, and also to my pending application No. 716,660} which is a reissue of my Patent No. 1,032,717, except that the tilting shield is provided with self-closing sliding gates normally held open by separate heat controlled devices, and is also provided with means for closing the portions of the floor opening which may be left open by the tilting of the shield all of these tparts being carried by the tubular shell to orm a um- 12111 structure.

be primary object, therefore, of my present invention is to provide a combined guide chute and tire protective shield which may be held in a vertical position or at different an lea thereto according to the direction in w liCh it ma be desired to pass the articles through sue 1 opening.

Another ob ect is to provide heat controlled means for closing the openin throu it the chute when the heat surroun ing tie chute reaches a predetermined demo and to render the same closure operative in any position of the chute.

A further object is to provide one or more guard lates or covering pieces which are adjusta le relatively to the chute to cover any intervening gap between the sides of the floor opening and adjacent portion of the chute.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 are respectively side and front elevations of a combined guide chute and fire shield in operative position in a floor opening. Fig. 3 1s a ion itudinal vertical sectional view througi the same chute or shield taken on line 3-8, Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 6 are respectively a transverse sectional view and a lengthwise sectional view of said chute taken res ectively on lines 4-4 and 5-5 Fig. 1.

his device is adapted to be used in connection with any wall, floor or partition opening but is more particularly useful in connection with an o ening as ain a floor A- through w liCil lumber and other articles of merchandise are adapted to be assed from door to floor and comprises in its organization a tubular chute -1 and separate supporting members --2- together with heat controlled means hereinafter described for closin the opening through the chute when the local heat reaches or excoeds a predetermined degree of temperature, all parts of the device except the heat destructi le detents for the closures being made of heat resisting material such as sheet or cast metal.

The chute 1- referabl consists of an elongated metal tn e of su stantially rectangular cross section open at both ends to allow the passage of articles therethrough, the cross sectional area being somewhat less than that of the o enin -athrou h which it projects to ai low t m chute to be a justed to the desired angle.

The supporting members -2-- preferably consist of cast metal brackets separately connected to the chute -1- by pivotal bolts -8 to permit the chute and brackets to be adjusted relatively to each other and are provided along their upper edges with outturned flanges 4 of greater length than the width of the opening a-- for securement to the underside of the door by suitable fastening means as bolts or scre\vs-l').

The pendant main bodies of the brackets -2 are substantially tint and are disposed in close proximity to opposite sides of the chute with just sufiicient clearance to allow the chute to be tilted relatively thereto and are provided with slots --0- below and concentric with their respective pivotal bolts -3- for receiving clamping bolts 7- and permitting relative tilting adjustment of the chute and brackets one upon the other the clamping bolts -7 serving to hold such parts in their relatively adjustable positions. The upper sides of the brackets are recessed for receiving the ends of separate guard plates or filling pieces -8-- which are located at the front and rear of the chute and are adjustable relatively thereto so as to bring their inner edges into more or less proximity to the adjacent faces of said chute. The inner edges of these plates are provided with downwardly deflected flanges -9- of substantially the same width as the chute for the pur ose of defleeting any local flame or fire ownwardly away from the opening. The ortions of these guard plates adjacent the goor --A may be covered with a layer of asbestos or similar non-conductor of heat to prevent the transmission of heat from the metal to the wood, said plates being clamped between the upper faces of the brackets -2- and underside of the floor as best seen in Figs. 9. and 3. The downwardly deflected flanges -9 on the inner edges of the plates -8- also serve the purpose of deflecting the heat away from the adjacent portion of the wood floor around the opening leaving the intervening air space to further protect the floor from burning or charring in case the metal should become excessively heated. The main function, however, of these plates is to cover the intervening space between the sides of the opening and adjacent portions of the chute and for this purpose they may be adjusted upon the brackets relatively to the chute so as to effectively cover the opening -a in the floor when the chute is tilted to ditferent angles. This chute extends through the opening --aand above theupper surface of the floor to prevent accidental displacement of articles upon the floor into the chute, said chute also extending a considerable distance below the fioor into the underlying room or apartment so as to prevent any fire or smoke which may rise to the ceiling from passing out through'the floor openin or through the chute.

he heat controlled means for closing the openin through the chute preferably consists 0 one or more, in this instance, two, sliding gates or closures -10-- and 1lwhich are normally held in their open positions by fusible detents 12 and 13- and are adapted to be automatically closed when the detents are disintegrated by heat 2y weighted members --14-- and -15. hese gates 10- and 11- are preferably loeated in or upon the lower portion of the chute one above the other, the gate -10-- being disposed in an inclined position or at an acute angle with the upper poras best seen in Figs. 3 and 5.

tion of the chute and is guided in correspondingly inclined ways or grooves 16 in the sides of the chute and extensions 17. The lower gate llis disposed at substantially right angles to said chute and is guided in grooves 1 8- in opposite sides of the chute and suitable extensions -19- I have shown the chute as provided with a lurality of gates or closures arranged at different angles so as to erinit a wider range of adjustment of sai chute with the assurance that at least one or both of the gates will be antomatically closed in case of fire. I have shown the gates as held in their open positions by fusible detents adapted to be disintegrated bv a predetermined degree of heat localized around the chute but it is evident that the gates may be held open by their heat controlled means. These fusible detents 12 and 13 are of well known link construction not necessary to herein illustrate or describe, the fusiblelink ---12--- bein connected at one end to a book --21-- on the outer end of the gate -l7- while its other end is connected to a hook projecting from the adjacent side of the chute. In like manner the fusible link -13 is connected at one end to a lever or weighted arm -23-- and its other end is connected to a hook-shaped member -24.- on the adjacent side of the chute, said arm 23-- being V-shape and having one end pivoted at 25 to the adjacent side of the chute -1- and its other end provided with the weight -15-, said arm having its intermediate portion or apex loosely connected to the outer end of the gate *11--\ It is now clear that in case of fire in the room or apartment below the floor --A- any flame or heat which may rise to the ceiling around the opening --a-- will destroy the detents -l2- and 13 and allow the gates 10and -11- to be automatically closed by their weights -14- and -15 respectively, thus preventing any possibility of fire and smoke passing through the chute, and together with the bracket --2- and guard plates 8- efi'ectively prevent the passage of fire and smoke through the floor opening.

Additional shield plates -30 may be secured to the floor around the upwardly protruding end of the chute to positively close the upper end of the floor opening and thereby prevent accumulations of dust and other foreign matter therein.

The asbestos filling between the plates -8 and underside of the floor may be extended to the space between the brackets rackets or plates to the wood. In order to prevent interference with. th

Ooplcs 0! this pstant my be obtslnod for he sent:

tervening dead-air chamber when closed, 10 and thermally released detents for the gates.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 17th do of Ma 1911.

DAV S. ATSON. Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE,

E. L. Srmnme.

08011, by addressing the "Commissioner 0! Patents,

wummn. D. Q. 

